All But Lost
by halfdemon-kai
Summary: When the world is as lost as you, what can you do but try to make things come to an understanding? Becoming an assassin was just the first step for Sahhi, but being put under Altaïr as an apprentice was another. "What sorcery is this?"


_Hey everyone. So I finally played the first Assassin's Creed game and I couldn't help but think on how awesome it was and just playing it gave me the idea to write this story. I hope that you all like it and that you will all enjoy the events to come. :)_

_Please Enjoy_

_**All But Lost**_

**Chapter 1**

"I have already told you, I want nothing to do with this," Altaïr's voice stated from the inside of the room, "I have my own things to be concerned with. I do not have time to waste watching over a child."

"Were you not a child once Altaïr?" the master questioned; his tone calm as could be, "Did you not once need the guidance of a brother?"

"No," the man protested, "I did not need the guidance of a brother. I had your guidance."

"It was still guidance all the same," the master continued, "This would not just be a good opportunity for Sahhi, but for yourself as well. You could both learn from each other."

"There is nothing that I need to learn from a child, master," Altaïr continued to protest, "Why do you not give them your guidance like you have given so many others?"

By the tone of Altaïr's voice, I could tell that he wasn't impressed with what the master was trying to push onto him. To be completely honest, I wasn't all that impressed either. Altaïr was the master's best student and one of the most intimidating assassins in the brotherhood. If I didn't learn quick enough… would he just simply let a Templar have me?

The master let out a sound that showed his annoyance with the assassin's persistence.

"At the moment I do not have the time to watch over Sahhi and teach him everything that he needs to know," he stated, placing a book on the shelf, "That is why I need you, my best student to show him the way. You never know, you might learn more than you expect to."

There was a loud scoff before footsteps started to come closer.

"I will not accept this task willingly," Altair muttered before he passed me in the doorway.

I became rigid with his presence; his cold eyes on me. Even with my hood up, I could tell that he was angry with me. We had even yet to speak and he was angry with my presence.

"Are you the child that he speaks of?" he questioned, annoyance lacing his voice.

I slowly nodded my head before getting to my feet.

"You're puny," he stated bluntly, "How does he expect you to become an assassin with your size?"

Shaking his head, Altaïr continued on his way through the large hall.

Altaïr was as cold as the people had said he was. He was much taller and bulkier than I was, but I figured that that was to be expected since he was older. _'He didn't have to call me puny though…' _I thought as his words hit my pride. Small meant faster and more agile. That was a main part of being an assassin.

The master came out of his study, a small smile on his face.

"Do not let his attitude bother you Sahhi," he told me while turning his head to watch Altaïr leave, "He seems cold and rigid on the outside, but I know that he could learn many things from you."

I nodded my head with his words. I didn't know what there was that I could teach someone like Altaïr, but I knew that there were many things that he could teach me.

* * *

Altaïr sat on a high perch, staring out over the city. The people walked about freely, making noise with their chatter. Guards were standing at their posts to keep an eye on the people; keeping them out of trouble.

His eyes found their way to the training ground where he could see a person of small stature trying to take on another assassin. They were quick with their blade; blocking each strike thrown at them. He was surprised when the person flipped the assassin over their shoulder and pinned them down to the ground, winning the spar.

Raising a brow, Altaïr sat up from his perch and watched a little bit more closely. The assassin got back to his feet and they began sparring again. It only took him a few moments to grab the smaller person and throw them into the ring's fence, sending them through it.

"Serves him right," Altaïr said lowly to him self, "That child needs to grow before becoming a proper assassin. He probably isn't of age…"

With that thought, Altaïr shook his head before leaning back again.

How could his master give him such a task? He had better things to do than sit and watch over a child so they wouldn't get themselves killed against Templar. He believed that the master should send the child out on his own and learn his own experiences. Teach them the skills and if they were good enough to use them then they would survive and return. If they didn't, then they didn't deserve to be an assassin in his eyes.

Altaïr stared up at the sky. He had killed many; silenced many men whose words would cause chaos. There were guards that did not live another day because of his blade. He had been born to give the blood of others to his master, not knowledge to one who was many ranks lower than himself.

"…The master should have chosen another."

* * *

I groaned as I tried to get to my feet. The broken pieces of wood were not comfortable under my back. _'I didn't realize that people could throw others around like that…'_ I thought disapprovingly to myself. I had to keep reminding myself that anything was possible.

"You're not so quick now, are you?" the other assassin asked me; his tone mocking and amused.

Ignoring the pain, I pushed myself up before charging at him. I threw all my weight in his direction before he simply grabbed the collar of my cloak and held me easily off the ground.

"You're pretty light to be an assassin," he continued to tease me, "Are you sure that you're going to be able to defend yourself against someone like a Templar?"

I grunted with annoyance, taking hold of his wrist and pulling my legs up to kick him forcefully in the chest.

The force pushed him away and caused him to release me, letting me fall to the ground. Catching my balance, I landed on my feet and readied myself for the next attack. I watched as the he stumbled backward before drawing his blade. He came at me quickly, bringing his sword down in my direction. I dodged to the side before jumping backward as he brought the blade in toward me. I had to block a strike with the guards on my forearms before punching the other assassin in the stomach.

He let out a gasp at a loss for air before I punched him again on his cheekbone. The man fell backward, losing his sword in the process. I went to it, taking hold of it before grabbing his collar and holding the blade to his throat.

"I think that I can handle my own," I told the assassin before releasing him and tossing the sword to the ground.

I was done for the day. I had been told by the master to rest easy this night, for he had something planned for tomorrow. I didn't know if Altaïr would agree to train me or if there would be anyone to train me at all, but I had a feeling that the master wouldn't let him get away with saying no. We were going to be pushed together whether we really wanted to or not.

Sighing, I shook my head as I walked into the city. This place had been my place of refuge since I had been a child. I had run away from Acre when I was much younger; ran away from the way the people had lived there. At the time I really had no other choice. Both of my parents had been murdered by guards under suspicion of being traitors of the crown. They had been no such thing. The guards just wanted a reason to get them out of the way.

I had come to Masyaf with hopes that they would take me in… that they would let me become an assassin. I wanted to see the true justice of the things in the world; wanted everyone else to see.

"Welcome back Sahhi," an elderly woman greeted pleasantly as I passed her on the street.

"I haven't come back for long," I told her as I turned toward the door, "I just came back to grab a few things."

"You won't be staying the night here then?" she wondered, sounding disappointed.

The elderly woman had been kind enough to let me stay with her for twelve years but I knew that now was the time that I had to branch out on my own.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I will be coming back for some time," I explained, putting my hand on her shoulder, "I will miss you."

"Farewell child," she said with a pleasant smile, "Please take care on your journey."

I nodded my head before going into the old building. I went to the main room where the food was kept and placed a small parchment on the old table. It was a small token of appreciation that I had gotten for the elderly woman; a thanks for everything she had done for me. It wasn't anything truly special, just something that I had come across in a market.

Upon taking my leave, I cast a smile and a nod to the woman before making my way deeper into the city. The people were indifferent to my presence as I walked through the crowds. They lived normally in the city; protected by the brotherhood… protected by the creed.

* * *

Altaïr stood before his master, a scowl clear on his face. His master was trying to force the duty of watching over the child upon him again. How much of an assassin could one be with an inexperienced child tailing behind them?

"I will not do it," the assassin stated, "Surely the creed is against someone so young joining the brotherhood."

From the corner of his eye he saw Sahhi wince with his comment about age. He was sure that the child couldn't have been more than fourteen.

"Sahhi is older than you think he is Altaïr," the master told him as he opened an old book on the table, "He is almost the age of twenty. I believe that he is old enough to watch over his own actions."

Casting his eyes onto the smaller person beside him, the assassin's brows pushed together.

"Speak sense!" he demanded, "He is the size of a child!"

"What age do you consider to be a child Altaïr? When does one truly be considered a man?" the master questioned with a raised brow, "Who are you to judge that of another?"

"His size is his disadvantage. A Templar would have no problem dispatching him, which makes him no better than a child," Altaïr continued, becoming frustrated with his master's persistence.

"You will do this task Altaïr," the master told him, his tone serious, "And you will do it for the sake of the brotherhood."

His jaw tightened as it was now becoming an order instead of being just a request.

"It will be your responsibility to ensure Sahhi's safety during each assassination. Show him the way to be a proper assassin."

Altaïr scoffed with what was happening. This was a waste of his time. Any other assassin in the brotherhood could teach the child how to be a proper assassin. There wasn't a reason as to why it had to be him.

"You will take Sahhi to Damascus. Together you will assassinate a man known as Mahan," the master explained, looking back into his old book.

"What are his crimes?" Altaïr questioned, not sounding interested in the task at all.

"He is spreading rumors about our whereabouts to the people of Damascus. Telling them that anyone from Masyaf is not to be trusted," the master explained, "These rumors have also caused many scholars to be arrested under false charges. Some have even been executed for their accusations."

"Then it is a crime worth paying for," he agreed, nodding his head.

He turned to leave the study, expecting Sahhi to follow after him.

"Take care Altaïr," the master told them, "You too Sahhi."

The two assassins left the study, becoming ready to depart for the journey by horseback.

* * *

I stared at the black horse with curiosity. The horse looked wild, like it had been taken out of the plains and had reigns thrown onto it in a hurry. I didn't know what to make of it. Would it attack me if I went near it? Or would it be at ease with allowing me onto its back?

"You have ridden a horse before haven't you?" Altaïr asked me, sounding agitated by my lack of movement toward the animal.

"You honestly think that I am incompetent, don't you?" I asked him with a raised brow, finding his agitation amusing.

"The master says that you are old enough to be a man, but your size tells me otherwise. You are a child," he stated as he climbed onto his own horse.

"Then you must think that I fight like a child as well," I mused, shaking my head with a small smile.

I had seen him the previous day sitting on a perch of the fortress. I had seen him when I had been thrown onto my back; seen that he had been watching. He had caught me making a fool of myself because of my stature.

"Get on the horse so we may depart. Stop wasting my time with delays," he ordered.

My dark eyes fell back onto the large dark furred animal. It didn't look any friendlier than it had a few moments ago. _'Maybe I should choose another horse…' _

"Now boy, I am getting impatient," Altaïr demanded, "If you do not hurry then you will be left behind."

I scowled at his words.

An assassin had no fear of death or pain. This was something that I needed to overcome. Whatever happened would happen for the brotherhood and the creed. It was something an assassin would be willing to do… but I had enough trouble doing a leap of faith off the smallest of buildings. I did fear death.

Reluctantly, I went toward the horse before grabbing the reigns cautiously. It turned its head in my direction when I started to climb into the saddle. Once I was set, the horse rose onto its hind legs before taking off into a mad dash down the trail. _'Damn it… I should have known better…' _I thought to myself as I tried to take command of the wild animal.

I could hear Altaïr's horse coming up behind me, trying to catch up quickly. The black horse ran rampantly down the trail, forcing the people walking to get out of the way. It jumped over the fence blockade before it started to buck to throw me off of its back. I tried my best to not let go; holding tightly onto the reigns.

"What are you doing?" Altaïr demanded, "Take command."

I tried pulling on the reigns one last time before I was thrown off the horse's back. The force from the horse's bucking threw me off to the side of the trail.

Landing on my feet, I rolled backward before my back collided with the side of a ledge. I let out a cry of pain, feeling the sharp pain spread through my back and my right foot. _'Damn it…' _I inwardly hissed, wincing.

"Fool," Altaïr stated icily, "Why did you not take command of the horse?"

"Y-you think I didn't try?" I asked, trying to raise a brow, "Why did you get me a wild horse?"

"Speak sense. That horse was not wild."

"No, it was perfectly tame," I muttered sarcastically, "Did you not see the expression in its eyes?"

I saw his hands clench for a moment before he turned his back to me.

"Get to your feet, we will catch your horse and you will try again," he ordered me, going to get his own horse.

A sound caught my attention, causing me to look toward the end of the trail. The horse had reached the tall mountains and had already run through the stone passage through the canyon. There was no way we were going to catch that horse now.

"I think it's a little late for us to catch that horse," I told Altaïr as I tried to force myself to my feet, "It will be long gone now."

Once I was standing, I winced at the pain I felt in my back before I stumbled to one knee. _'Damn it… I must have twisted my ankle when I landed…' _I scowled at the circumstances. We hadn't even gotten twenty feet from Masyaf and things had already started to go wrong.

"Brilliant," I muttered with discontent.

This was already turning out to be a failure of a mission.

Altaïr turned back toward me, a scowl clear on his face.

"Why are you not on your feet?" he questioned, his one sounding more than annoyed now, "You can stand can't you?"

I shook my head with his question. I didn't believe that I could. As he made his way back over, I could hear him muttering to himself; saying the word child multiple times. He grabbed my arm and lifted me to my feet with what seemed to be ease. I didn't cease to amaze me how many people could lift me off my feet so easily.

"We will ride together," he told me as he lifted me onto the horse, "Once we reach Damascus you will have to walk on your own into the city. After we slip by the guards I will help you to the bureau. We will rest there for the night and we will proceed as planned in the morning."

I was surprised when he climbed onto the horse behind me and the horse began to trot so easily.

"I guess my size has its advantages," I told him as we followed down the trail my horse had gone previously.

"Speak sense," Altaïr told me, leading the horse to go faster.

"If I were your size then both of us wouldn't fit on the horse."

He didn't reply as the horse went into a fast gallop into the open kingdom. His silence caused me to wonder whether he believed that my words were right or if he just found my chatter annoying. Somehow, I found myself leaning toward the latter.

**End of Chapter 1**


End file.
